Delta & Northwest Merger FAQsAward Travel Rules & Conditions
All SkyMiles Award Travel is subject to the terms and conditions of the contract of carriage of the transporting carrier. In addition, the following terms and conditions apply to all Delta Award Travel.
Rules for Award Travel on partner airlines may vary.
See SkyMiles Program Updates to learn more about recent changes to the SkyMiles program.
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Award Transfer
Miles may be redeemed for Award Tickets in the name of passengers other than the SkyMiles member, but Award Tickets are nontransferable once issued. Members are prohibited from selling or bartering Award Tickets.
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to topBlackout dates
Blackout dates may apply and are defined by individual carriers.
Capacity Controls
Seats available for Award Travel are limited and may not be available on all flights.
Changes for Award Travel Tickets
Changes to origin, destination, routing, date, and time are
permitted provided there are no changes to the mileage required
for the new itinerary. For paper tickets, once travel has
commenced, only date and time changes are permitted unless
changes are
processed at a Delta ticketing office. Fees apply
for any changes.
Children
Award levels for children and infants are the same as for adults.
Duplicate or Conflicting Reservations
The booking of duplicate or conflicting reservations for Award Travel is prohibited. Delta reserves the right to cancel any duplicate or conflicting reservation without notice.
Prohibited Destinations
Award tickets will not be issued for travel that U.S. carriers are prohibited from providing or facilitating under U.S. sanctions regulations or other applicable law.
Lost/Stolen Award Tickets
If a SkyMiles Award Ticket is lost or stolen, notify your nearest Delta Representative. A fee will apply for replacement of tickets or certificates.
Name Changes
Name changes are not permitted once an Award Ticket has been issued.
Open Jaw
Open-jaw travel is permitted and counts as a stopover. Restrictions apply. For details, please contact a Delta representative.
Responsibility for Taxes, Fees, and Other Charges
The payment of any taxes, fees, and other government or airport-imposed charges is the responsibility of the passenger. Award Travel tickets do not include a $3.50 Federal Excise Tax, Passenger Facility Charge(s) of up to $4.50 for each flight segment, or the September 11th Security Fee of up to $2.50 for each flight segment. A flight segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing. Award Travel tickets to/from Hawaii/Alaska do not include U.S. International Air Transportation Tax of up to $15.40 round-trip.
Award Travel tickets for international travel, including for travel to/from PR/U.S. Virgin Islands, do not include U.S. International Air Transportation Tax of up to $30.80 and U.S. and foreign user, inspection, security or other similarly based charges, fees or taxes of up to $299, depending on itinerary. Taxes and fees for award travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. In some instances, the government may elect to collect the fees directly from the passenger. Some airline partners charge a fee for Award Travel redemptions for travel on their airlines. These fees, when applicable, are the responsibility of the passenger and will be collected at the time of booking. Additional fees apply for some SkyMiles transactions.
Round-the-World Awards
Round-the-World routing must be in a continuous eastbound or westbound direction (i.e., backtracking is not permitted). Travel must terminate in the country of origin without extending beyond the point of origin. Flights operated by codeshare partners must permit local traffic between the stopover point and the destination; the most direct routing applies.
Mileage needed for Award Travel:
- 180,000 miles for Economy class
- 280,000 miles for Business class
- 340,000 miles for First class
Routing
Routing restrictions apply for Award Travel. Valid routings vary based on the operating carriers of the Award Ticket. Any exceptions or variations to these routings may require additional mileage for the award.
Standby
Standby is permitted only if allowed by the carrier on which travel will occur.
Stopovers
One stopover is allowed per Award. Round-the-World Awards allow a maximum of three stopovers per continent, not to exceed 6.
Ticketing
Award Tickets may be issued only by Delta/Delta Connection carriers and only on Delta ticket stock. American Eagle cannot issue Award Tickets for Delta travel.
All other air travel must be ticketed separately from Award Travel. For international Award Ticket travel, if a published routing does not exist between two cities or service is not offered via a published routing, travel must be within the maximum permitted mileage. Completely open tickets will not be issued.
Mileage Upgrade Awards must have a coach ticket issued prior to confirming an upgrade award seat. Upgraded tickets using a Mileage upgrade award must be issued by Delta.
Ticket Validity
Award Tickets are valid for one year from date of issue. Destinations governed by international tariffs: If portion of original ticket has been used, it is valid for one year from date travel commences at point of origin on original ticket. If no portion of original ticket has been used, ticket validity is one year from the date of issuance of the original ticket. Reissue does not extend ticket validity.
Unused Award Tickets
Unused Award Tickets may be surrendered to Delta for redeposit
of miles into the Member’s account. Fees apply.
Once travel has commenced on an Award Ticket,
the Award is considered used. Mileage will not be credited
back to the
account for the unused portion of the ticket.
Upgrades
Award Tickets may not be upgraded.
Waitlisting
Waitlisting is not allowed on Award Tickets.
Terms and conditions apply to all offers and SkyMiles benefits. See specific offer for details, and visit SkyMiles Membership Guide & Program Rules.
+Subject to government approval.